The Soul Keeper: The Castle Trilogy

By M W Russell

But some hope still remains. The surprising gift that her housekeeper Kate has shown her may just be the key. Can Melodie and her friends find the silver book and bring Joseph back? And who is this Irish stranger who clumsily lends a hand?

This next installment in The Castle Series, The Soul Keeper will keep you glued to every page.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M W Russell
• Release date: Mar 2, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301874804

M W Russell

Maree was born in New Plymouth, New Zealand . She currently resides in Auckland, in a home with a sea view across Auckland Harbor. When not writing and looking after family she dreams of Dragons and Demons in the dark. She has been a Registered Nurse for thirty plus and has an Advanced Diploma in Novel Writing from the New Zealand Business Institute and is currently completing a Bachelor of English Literature at Massey University.

Book preview

The Soul Keeper

Book Two of The Castle Trilogy

By Maree Ward-Russell

Copyright © 2013 by M. W. Russell

ISBN: 9781301874804

Http://www.mwrussellbooks.com

Editing: Kathy LaVergne

Formatting: Patti Roberts

Cover design: Patti Roberts

Also by M.W. Russell:

Roses at Dusk

The Transient

Smashwords Edition

License Notes

The right of M.W. Russell to be identified as author of this work has been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author/publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

This book is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents depicted herein are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Dedication

To Pan - thank you for teaching me the true craft of prose and the delight in visions that brings. Wendy

Acknowledgements

To Patti Roberts - formatter and cover designer extraordinaire and amazing friend. To Kathy La Vergne, patient long suffering editor and champion of the comma!

For love is a power beyond reason. That which fate decides with no will of our own, it claims us and devours us, giving us strength of soul to live.

M.W. Russell

Prologue

Wounded and bleeding, I stared in pain toward the spot where the five of them had stood. Four figures who were regal, powerful, uttering decisions that would affect the rest of my life. And one, dejected and defeated. He had stared back at me one last time. Nothing could have prepared me for the ache. Losing him was crippling beyond belief. But even in that moment of horror, one glimmering hope pushed through the despair: Was he really gone?

In the short time I had lived at Heartworth Castle, the world I had always known had been swallowed by another world that, before, I never believed existed. It was a place of fantasy and dreams and horror stories and nightmares, but most of all, of a love and of friendships beyond anything I had ever dreamed—that is, until now.

But pain teaches you. It gives you strength to fight. And fight I would, to bring Joseph back to the home where he truly belonged.

CHAPTER ONE

I love that burnt orange glow that shines through your eyelids when you bake on your back in the sun. Spring had finally hit Heartworth in all its scorching glory. It was Sunday, warm and still. The grass had that freshly mown scent, and a distant humming floated in the air as a dragonfly hovered lazily above the pond. I was stretched out on an old patchwork quilt under the shade of the chestnut next to the water’s edge. It had always been our pond when Joseph was still around.

Nowadays, apart from the odd unexpected breeze, he was nowhere to be seen. Today felt particularly miserable. I was flicking back through the entries I had made in the diary Holly had given me. It was the tenth of May and the eight-month anniversary of our first real kiss. It was a ridiculous thing to commemorate. Most people celebrate first meetings, first dates, or engagements. But for me his kiss was the one real thing I could remember. The heat of his lips felt permanently imprinted on my skin.

I rolled onto my stomach, dragged open my eyes, and stared out into the garden. Harvey, our resident skunk, had found a mate during spring. Their black-and-white tails bobbed above the undergrowth as they trotted back into the woods.

I stared at our wooden bench and pictured Joseph lying cheekily before me as he so often had. I started to smile until the pain bit viciously at my insides. My love was gone. My pathetic existence hung in limbo until we could find a way to bring him home.

The castle was already full of memories for me. It had just been a year since we moved halfway across the planet from Sydney, Australia, to take up residence in the most unusual bed and breakfast ever. Cohoes, New York, was now our new home. A rather eccentric ancestor of my father’s had built Heartworth Castle way back in the eighteen hundreds—causing quite a stir at the time—and then my dad inherited it from my elderly Great-Aunt Lucy. My life had been a rollercoaster ever since.

The household consisted of me, my dad, our housekeeper Kate, and her jovial husband Ted. Kate and Ted had their own home close by, but when we had guests to stay they lived in, becoming the biggest extended family I had ever had. So in a short time I had moved, made new friends, and loved and lost in a way that was impossible to explain.

I thought I might find you here. Kate was strolling across the lawn toward me carrying a laden tray.

Hey Kate. You didn’t have to come all the way out here to bring me lunch.

It’s no problem at all, Melodie. Besides, it gives us a chance to chat away from your dad and my nosy husband. She chuckled.

Kate settled herself down on the bench and stared at me searchingly. Thinking about Joseph?

As always, I sighed dismally. A lump swelled in my throat as the inevitable tears invaded.

Kate slid onto the quilt beside me and wrapped me in a motherly hug. I had lost my own mum at the tender age of four, and since then Kate was the closest thing to a mother I’d ever had.

You hang in there. We’ll soon have that book, and Joseph will be back with you.

I nodded unconvincingly as my lower lip trembled.

The Silver Book of the Governance was the vital piece of the equation. Kate had recently and mysteriously given me a map that was hopefully going to lead us to the elusive silver book and, more importantly, bring Joseph home.

I stared up at her lined face, spying the youth hidden under her worn skin. Thanks Kate. I wouldn’t survive this without you.

Not just me, Melodie. You have your friends too. They’ll be back soon, and between us we will sort this mess out. You’ll see. She slid her vein-covered hands along my cheeks and squeezed. Lying back, she settled comfortably against the bench and stared at me with a penetrating gaze. That brings me back to the real reason I came out here. There’s the small matter of your first charge as Soul Keeper to discuss.

I flinched. Butterflies flittered with anticipation. Kate had dropped that bombshell only a few weeks ago. After months of confusion and wondering, I had found out the real reason I could see Joseph when at first no one else could. The reason I was strangely attuned to all things celestial and connected to him was that I was a Soul Keeper. Like my great-great-grandmother and so many others before me, I was born to befriend and guide those who chose the unorthodox world of being transient ghosts. Until now, the details of my new job and all its spectral gifts had been sketchy.

Kate breathed in poignantly before she spoke. Any day now, you will be contacted by your new charge. He or she will have been directed here by the Governance in purgatory and will break through to you.

I frowned. Joseph said he never knew about you. He said that he had been aware of people watching over him but had never had contact. Mortal guardian angels, he called them. How come he never made contact with you?

Joseph was a special case. I was here at Heartworth with a soul charge already. Joseph somehow slipped through purgatory before anyone had been assigned to him. About that time, my charge decided to cross over to the other side, and they asked me to remain here and watch over Joseph instead. He was by then managing independently, so they felt no need for me to reveal myself or intervene. Contact can cause some anxiety and confusion, I am told, for those who have already established themselves as transients.

So, all these years you just watched and kept away?

Yes. I was bound by my instructions—although so often I wondered if he knew. Kate paused and mused quietly, a sly grin creeping over her face. Then you came along and things became a little complicated. But still I was told to stand back and just let things unfold. It was frustrating beyond belief!

So what about now? You’re getting involved by giving me the map and helping to bring him back.

Kate shuffled nervously on the quilt and stared out toward the trees. Technically, I guess I’m breaking a few rules. I could get myself into a power of trouble. Still, what’s life without a bit of trouble? Her smile split into a glistening beam. I’m supposed to show you the ropes of being a Soul Keeper and prepare you for the days ahead, nothing else.

I gaped at Kate for a few moments. "But, couldn’t they have you banished or something?"

The memory of the all-powerful Governance exerting their might was blisteringly raw. My brush with them had left scars that still burned deep. Mortals and ghosts are not allowed to mix no matter how real their love might be; and the Governance is the ruling body of purgatory whose job it is to keep everyone in their rightful places. Although technically on the side of good, the Governance’s authority is undisputed. And they are not used to being disobeyed—something Joseph and I found out with the ultimate consequence: they squelched our relationship with one definitive swoop, his banishment being the end result. My heart thumped a painful beat. For a brief moment, the eerie image of them disappearing with Joseph swam cuttingly through my brain.

I shook involuntarily as Kate’s voice brought me back to reality.

They can’t banish me, Melodie; because, technically, like you I am not dead. Being Soul Keepers does not require us to be a part of the spirit world. It just gives us prolonged mortality. She huffed with frustration. And frankly, at one hundred and fifty, I’m getting pretty tired. There are some things more important than my mere existence. Right and wrong, for example. Her eyes blazed.

Right and wrong? Like Joseph’s banishment?

Yes, Melodie. What Elizabeth managed to pull off was nothing short of criminal. She completely twisted the rules.

Elizabeth! Yet another stinging reminder. Like Joseph, Elizabeth was a transient ghost—only spiteful and jealous and totally obsessed with him. It was through her nasty meddling that the Governance was alerted to our relationship. I seethed, imagining her taunting face.

Kate paused and smiled. I am also a complete sucker for a love story. You and Joseph, no matter which way you look at it, are the epitome of true love.

I stared down at the locket hanging around my neck and sucked in a breath, trying not to cry. Joseph and I had found my great-great-grandmother Lilly’s locket amongst her old possessions in the attic. I still wore it as a talisman, a token of his heart.

I looked searchingly at Kate. One small question had been nagging at the back of my mind since the day she revealed her true self to me, something that hadn’t made any sense. How does Ted fit into all of this? Is he a Soul Keeper too?

Ted, Kate’s quietly devoted husband, always managed to just hover good-naturedly in the background. He had become like a grandfather to me and never failed to make me laugh. It seemed impossible that he could be ignorant of all this madness.

He’s just like your dad. Mortal and completely oblivious. There are ways of keeping them in the dark, as you will soon see. Still, I don’t want to bombard you with too many details at one time, so today we shall just leave it at that.

We sat quietly nibbling on peanut butter sandwiches and lost in private thoughts. I was just about to take a swig of soda when an almighty splash showered us both from the pond beside us and we leapt to our feet. Ducks scattered, squawking loudly. Reeds splintered and flew. Something round and large had entered the water close to the edge, and the subsequent deluge soaked us—clothes, quilt, food, and all.

I stood there panicked and looking around for the cause of the commotion. Kate was glancing skyward, hands on hips, wearing a humorous smile. I spied a large oval rock sticking out of place amongst the reeds.

Subtle entrance, she muttered quietly, clearly enjoying some sort of private joke.

Kate, what’s going on?

A whipping breeze had sprung up at our feet. I had enough experience of these bizarre wind vortexes to know that it was heaven rather than nature at the root of it. My heart began to accelerate hopefully. I was waiting for flowers to rain down from above—Joseph’s usual calling card. Instead, giant clover leaves, each one a piercing green in a precise formation of four petals, settled around us.

I think you may have a visitor. Kate chuckled merrily.

The sea of clover was becoming so thick that it coated our feet, our clothes, and the surrounding lawn. I shook them off my shoulders and spun to find their source. Barking, raucous laughter rebounded throughout the trees.

Why won’t they show themselves? I wondered aloud.

I think whoever it is, is looking for the grand effect. Kate flicked a few clovers off her head as she smiled dryly. Or is a little stuck on the other side.

Brilliant! I huffed. Joseph was bad enough with the practical jokes. Now another one who likes to play games. That’s all I need.

The echoing laughter faded with the breeze.

I stared confusedly at the clover at my feet. Well, so much for the dramatic entrance!

Kate chortled. Sometimes they take a while to get the hang of the whole fading thing. You’ll see him or her soon enough.

I sighed, remembering the first time I saw Joseph fade toward me. The dramatic skill transient ghosts have to move and fade from view had displayed itself as a whirl of mist, colors, and limbs. When a transient wants to be somewhere, he simply visualizes it in his head, and then a spiral of mist engulfs him as he disappears.

The midafternoon sun had hidden behind a few fluffy clouds that meandered across the pastel blue sky. I gathered up my diary and quilt, shaking off the sodden leaves and reeds. Kate reassembled our lunch tray, and we both traipsed slowly across the lawn toward home.

Thanks for lunch, Kate, and the chat.

No problem, Melodie.

I paused and watched in silence as she walked slowly, almost floating, along the flagstone passage toward the kitchen and out of sight.

I headed off the other way. My limbs felt flaccid and heavy as I chugged up the marble steps toward my room. Water had seeped into my running shoes and they squelched and slopped with each step I took. At the end of the passage, sun shards were escaping my bedroom door, which stood slightly ajar. I pushed it open and then stopped and stared in disbelief, my heart pelting. I screamed as a form misted and rushed toward me.

A transparent hand clasped over my mouth and an arm wrapped around my waist, holding me still. Shh girly! Do you have to be so loud?

I could feel my eyes bursting from their sockets as I squirmed frantically in its grasp.

Will ya hold still, woman!

I bit down hard, nipping the tip of a finger. My assailant let out a painful howl and jumped back.

I looked up to find a strapping youth sucking on his index finger, a frown firmly planted on his face. He had blazing red, shoulder-length hair, piercing emerald eyes, and a sprinkling of freckles across his cheeks. His arms were strong and bulky and his legs long and wiry. His clothes had a rural feel: tan patched jodhpurs, grey button-down shirt, and a russet leather waistcoat. He had a look about him that was a painful reminder of someone else I knew—another ghost who had also once caught me by surprise.

What did you do that for? he bellowed.

I don’t take too kindly to being mugged!

Mugged? What do you mean ‘mugged’?

Accosted, assaulted. Call it what you like, I snapped.

He looked affronted. "For goodness’ sake, girl. No one is trying to mug you, as you put it."

I stared incredulously. Who the hell are you?

Alex Peter O’Toole at your service, my lady. Alex stooped low into a sweeping bow and then straightened, his face splitting into a roguish grin.

Well Alex Peter O’Toole, just what do you think you’re doing in my room?

Waiting for you, of course.

Why?

Because I’m your new charge.

I gaped. I wasn’t too sure what I had expected for my first charge as a Soul Keeper, but for some reason he wasn’t it.

Alex’s face dropped in the thick silence. You’re disappointed, he whispered.

No, Alex. You’ve just come as a bit of a surprise. Don’t take it personally. I scrambled to place a suitable expression across my face.

His face shifted back into a crafty grin. Did you like the clover effect? I’m still new to the whole fading thing, but I think I’m getting the hang of it. He shimmered briefly like a chameleon in an attempt to vanish but stayed visible, then frowned sheepishly. Well, almost getting the hang of it, he muttered. He turned and leapt, planting himself in the dead center of my bed. He smirked at me and then slapped his hands together. Okay boss, so now what do we do?

CHAPTER TWO

Two of my best friends in the whole world just happen to be brother and sister. Chase and Holly had been away for the last four days with their parents, camping at the lake. Amy, our other best friend—and, conveniently, Chase’s girlfriend—had been honing her skills at cheerleading camp in Saratoga Springs. Their absence added a further hole to my heart. Any more holes and I would be riddled like Swiss cheese. They had been bombarding me on a daily basis with text messages to fill the void, but it was still not quite the same. The last day and a half, however, had been invaded by considerable change. It was a well-timed sidetrack from my habitual melancholy. Alex, my new charge and ever-present practical joker, had become a frequent, albeit pestering, distraction from my daily misery.

Kate had armed me with instructions on where to start with him. We had been working on the basics to begin with: how to fade safely through walls, materialize at will, and move objects of varying size. With mortals floating around us most of the time, it was particularly important to do this undetected. Sadly, subtlety was not exactly Alex’s middle name.

Mortals can only see a transient if the transient first touches them, blessing them with their touch. Thankfully neither my dad nor Ted had ever been given this gift. So when Alex launched through the adjoining kitchen wall, creating a current that sent Ben’s cereal flying, he could only look around bemused. I just groaned and backed out quickly before Ben saw me.

Sorry, sorry! Alex pleaded breathlessly.

Slower, Alex! I instructed There’s really no need to rush.

Between lessons Alex had taken to harassing me like a full-time occupation. Things like dumping plants on my head from the garden, jumping out at me through walls, and firing chestnuts at me whenever I crossed the yard. I drew the line the day he managed to appear next to me in the shower. The subsequent shrieking brought Kate belting upstairs while Alex insisted that he was still a bit clumsy on the whole fading bit and that he had merely taken a wrong turn. What with the pranks and his lessons, my nerves had become downright fractious.

It was Wednesday and a gloomy shade of grey. I lay snuggled, dreamily procrastinating, the warmth of my duvet delaying any attempt to get up for the day, when a loud slam accompanied the whipping away of my bedding.

I acted on impulse, letting out a guttural roar. Alex, will you get lost?!

Who’s Alex? Holly echoed from the doorway.

I flicked my head above the sea of feather and down in time to see Chase’s gangling frame standing above me wearing a satisfied grin. Amy hovered while Holly floated toward me, a smile spreading across her perky cheeks.

You’re back, I crowed with relief. And about time.

Amy planted herself down on the edge of my bed. So who’s this Alex? Or is that just what you call everyone now in your warped mental state?

I poked my tongue out at her as I slid cross-legged and faced my friends. Alex is my new charge.

Holly and Amy’s eyes boggled in unison. Chase chucked my duvet aside and jumped up, perching precariously next to me.

Oh my God, Melodie. What’s he like? Amy hissed.

A guy, huh? Joseph might have something to say about that. Chase’s face split into a knowing grin.

I rolled my eyes. He’s not that enticing, I stated flatly. He’s an Irish pain in the butt who’s been driving me crazy.

I spent the next hour prattling relentlessly about the unorthodox arrival of the insufferable Alex. I went into detail about the lessons that I had set for him and even asked them for anything they could suggest. I